Each May, you can count on David Letterman to return home to Indianapolis — at least for a weekend. The Broad Ripple High School product is an avid sports fan, especially racing. Understandably so because he grew up in the Racing Capital of the World.
In 1996, Letterman became the part-owner of a team and in 2004, it became Rahal-Letterman Racing. Six years later, it feel through for a bit before returning as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Letterman, 68, is expected to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the race, per usual — and it’ll put a cap on an emotional week for him.
On Wednesday, Letterman signed off as the host of “Late Night” on CBS after 22 years and he’s been a staple on late-night television for more than 35 years.
Graham Rahal, an American and the driver of the 15 car for his team, expects — no, hopes — that Letterman will take on a larger role with the team.
“I think Dave could have an even bigger influence now,” he said. “The trouble for Dave before was there was so much required of his time. There was no time to really do anything else. There was a company policy that you weren’t really allowed to be promoting sponsors and things on air. Luckily, he kind of ignored that one towards the end.
“He wasn’t really able to do that much. Hopefully now he can come out more and more often, be more involved with the sponsors and everything else, and have more of an effect.
Rahal said they had not talked in a while — Letterman has obviously been busy — but he did email him Thursday afternoon. He is appreciative of Letterman’s support through the years, and thinks Letterman’s son is a critical factor to his involvement moving forward.
“I know how passionate he is about this,” Rahal, who’ll start in 17th on Sunday, said. “The key, I think for him, is to get Harry, his son, more into this so it can become more of a father-son kind of thing.”
The green flag will waive to start Sunday’s race at 12:17 p.m., and air on ABC for the 51st consecutive year.
“To get another win for him — he’s got one in ’04 — to get another one for him here,” Rahal said, “would mean as much as it would for my dad or anyone else. It’d be pretty powerful.”